Improvement in trunk-locks



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JSEPH NOCK, OF VVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Y, Letters Patent No. 86,778, dated Februwry 9, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these LetterspPatent and making part o! the nam.

To all whom. it may. conce/rn:

Be it known that I, JOsEPH Nook, of Washington, in the county oi' \Vashington,and District of Columbia, have invented cert-.iin new and useful Improvements in Trunk-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, mak-i ing part of this speciiicat-ion, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts 4the tnniblers and key, when the lock is ready to open;

Figure 3 isa side view ofthe key; and

Figure 4 is a cross-section of the tumblers and kev, taken on the line :c-z of iig. 2. p

improved lock belongs to'that class known as spring-locks,7 which are fastened by the simple act of closing them. Y

In constructing it, I provide a case, A, of the usual form, in which the tumblers are located, as represented in figs. 1 and 2.

The hasp consists of a solid piece, C, which yhas a notch formed in its two sides, for the tumblers to lock or hook into, and may be either cast solid with, or

otherwise secured to a bar, B, which is screwed fast to the lid, or cover, ofthe trunk; the form of these parts being also shown clearly in l and 2.

The tumblers consists of plates, of metal, having a recess, vm., cunt in their upper edge, of such a form as to leave two hooks projecting inward from opposite sides, as represented by u and u', in iigs. l and 2, the recess m. being of sntiicient depth to permit the point Vor hea-d ofthe hasp O to enter far enough to have the hooks u and a enter thenotches in the opposite sides `of the hasp; and the points ofthe hooks u and u' being at such adistanee apart as to permit the head of the lin-sp to enter Ii'eely between them, without touching, as shown in 2.

The tninhlers are all provided with a hole directly below the centre ofthe .recess m., to receive a stud or pin, (t, on which they are all hung, and on which they turn freely. 4

The tnmhlers are ibrlned -in two sets; one set, E,

being arranged to lock into one side of the hasp, and

thel other set, l), into the opposite side, as shown in iig. l, they being made to assume these positions by means of springs fand e, one-end of which is secured permanently to the tumblers, and their other end bearing loosely against the side walls of the case A, as represented in the drawings.

The tumblers are all provided with a curved arm, l, for the key to operate against, in opening thelock, and the rear end of these arms Z, in the set D, are also provided with an inward projection, c, as shown more clearly in iig. 2.

There may be any number of these tumblers used; there being five in the present instance, as shown in iig. 4. V

All those composing the set D may be made precisely alike, while those composing the other set, for greater security, should have the curve on the under side of their arms, l, against which the key presses Iin opening the lock, varying somewhat in form, so that,

f in order to bring them all into .the required position to release their hooks u from the hasp O, the key will have to be made with projections, t, of varying lengths, `as represented in figs. 3 and 4. 4

A stud, or stop, n, is located in the case, in such a position as to have the end of the arms l, of the tum-1 blers E, rest upon it, when the hasp C is either entirely in or out, and thus preventthesprings efrom turning those tnmblers so far over, back, as to prevent the hasp from being forced in `between the hooks u and uf, to close the lock; this position of the tumblers E being represented in g. l, andthe upper inner edges of the hooks u and u being bevelled, or inclined, as is also the point of the hasp C, to permit the latter the more readily to enter therecess m, in closing the lock.

In placing the tumblers on the pin a, I prefer to have Vthem alternate, as represented in fig. 4, slipping on, first, oneof the set E, next, one of the set D, and so on alternately, the springs f being so arranged as to press all of the set D backward, thereby causing the hook fu', on them, to engage with the hasp C on one side, while the springs e press all of the set E forward, thereby causing the hook fu., on them, to engage in the op, posite side of the hasp, as represented in hg. l,

It is obvious, however, that this arrangement may be varied by changing the'relative position of the tumblers, and that, whenever a change is thus made, a differentlybrmed key will be required to open the lock; the number of changes that can thus be made in a vetumbl er lock being one hundred and twenty ;\the number of changes increasing, in accordance with the well-` known principle of permutation, with each addition to the number of tumblers employed.

It will thus be seen that, with a lock thus constructed, in case any other than the rightful party shou1dby any means, become possessed of the key, the owner has but to change the position ofthe tumblers, and it cannot be opened by the original key, the lock, in the mean time, havingranother key tted to correspond with 'the changed position of the tumblers,

Vbeing as ready for use, and. as safe and eiective as before.

It is also apparent that with a set of tnmblers thus formed, a great number of locks may be made, all precisely alike, except in the arrangement of the tumblers on the pin a, and yet each will require a different key to open it.

In order to open the lock, the key is inserted, and turned to the position represented in tig. 2, the curve on the under edge ofthe tumblers E heilig such that, as the key turns, its projections t will strike against the under edge of said tumblers, and throw them for- Ward far enough to disengage the hooks fu from the hasp C, the tumblers D remaining stationary "until the key comes in contact with the projections c, which draws them back far enough to disengage their hooks u from the notch in the opposite side ofthe hasp, when the latter may be Withdrawn, and the trunk opened.

If, however, the key be turned beyond this point, the tnmblers D Willvhe moved so far that their hooks, a, will he caused to engage with the hasp on that side, and thus prevent the lock from being opened, while, on the other hand, if it be not turned quite to that point, the hooks u, on the tumbler-s E, will not be released, and then they Will prevent the lock from being opened.

It will thus be seen that it Will be impossible to pick this lock by the means ordinarily used for that purpose, for the reason that if the tumblers D be moved at all beyond the required point, or it' the tumblers E be moved either too little or too much, in

either case, the lock is just, as securely fastened a though they had not been stirred at all.

By this method of construction, I am enabled to produce a lock that is strong, durable, cheap, efficient, and at the saine time unusually secure.

Having thus described my invention,

Vhat I claim, is-

rlhe combinationot the tumblers D, provided with the spring f, and projection c, with the turnhlers E, constructed as shown, and having the spring e attached, said tuinhlers being pivoted on a common axis, and so arranged as'to be operated by a key having a bit, or projection, on one side only, all substantially as herein set forth. Y

.[n testimony that I claim the oregoing improvement inv trunk and chest-locks, I have hereunto set my hand, this 25th day of May, 1867.

JOSEPH NOGK.

Witnesses SAMUEL HAnRIs, THORNTON SMHH. 

